• Please read the Announcement concerning missing posts from 10/8/25-10/15/25.
  • This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Why Do the Poor Vote GOP?

calamity said:
Fear

Fear Is Why Workers in Red States Vote Against Their Economic Self-Interest | Robert Reich



"Freedom Industries"? Yes West Virginia, it seems your people really are that gullible.
Click to expand...

I think its a combination of:

1. Social issues where at least historically the GOP has supported more than the democrats at least in talk.

2. Identity politics where the GOP is seen as "their side" regardless of the issues because people always support "the home team" as it were.

3. The GOP PR machine that bats a thousand at reaching its own but strikes out at appealing to those outside of the base does a superb job at demonizing their opposition and has them honestly convinced that unless they are in power America will be destroyed. They've been told by people they unquestionably trust the opposition is made up of terrorists (or at least their pals,) Marxists, socialists, people who have more in common with Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden (after all just listen to their names) than average Americans and the first year emergency economic measures recommended by respected economists to keep the county from going into what was believed to be a potential 1930s style Great Depression will be repeated every single year convinced the opposition is deliberately driving the country into economic ruin because they hate America. And they really believe it.
 
Last edited:
Perotista said:
I haven't the faintest idea of what they listen to or watch. But a lot of states get painted red or blue by how they cast their presidential vote instead of looking at the whole picture of the state. The thing with Gore, Kerry and Obama is the war on coal.

The same painting is done to my home state of Georgia. We aren't nearly as red as people believe. You may see than this November, we may be sending a Democrat to the senate. At least I would say there is a 50-50 chance of that. Michelle Nunn is a conservative Democrat running for Chambliss's seat. A lot of us old foggies like our old conservative democrats and Michelle has the right last name, Nunn which her daddy Sam Nunn served as Senator from Georgia for a very long time.
Click to expand...
Gore certainly went overboard with his climate change stuff. He might even have straight up declared war on coal for all I know.

Kerry, I think, was just not accepted by anyone against same sex marriage. Rove did a good job of painting him as the enemy in the culture war thing.

Obama...well, he's black. No way is WV, KY or any other blue collar southern state was going to vote for him. Hell, those states even voted for Hillary over him in the primary.
 
Smeagol said:
I think its a combination of:

1. Social issues where at least historically the GOP has supported more than the democrats at least in talk.

2. Identity politics where the GOP is seen as "their side" regardless of the issues because people always support "the home team" as it were.

3. The GOP PR machine that bats a thousand at reaching its own but strikes out at appealing to those outside of the base does a superb job at demonizing their opposition and has them honestly convinced that unless they are in power America will be destroyed. They've been told by people they unquestionably trust the opposition is made up of terrorists (or at least their pals,) Marxists, socialists, people who have more in common with Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden (after all just listen to their names) than average Americans and the first year emergency economic measures recommended by respected economists to keep the county from going into what was believed to be a potential 1930s style Great Depression will be repeated every single year convinced the opposition is deliberately driving the country into economic ruin because they hate America. And they really believe it.
Click to expand...
True and sad. Very sad.
 
calamity said:
So that's your take on an article which basically refers to regulating pollution?
Click to expand...

The article itself says it: They want jobs, and so they don't wish to take government action that will ruin the ability of business to provide those jobs.


However, I would challenge the contention that "poor people vote GOP". Our poorest demographics are major parts of the Democrats base.
 
Poor people think the only way they will get any support from the GOP is if they become a CEO at some multi-million dollar corporation.

It could happen I suppose, but it's highly unlikely.
 
calamity said:
Gore certainly went overboard with his climate change stuff. He might even have straight up declared war on coal for all I know.

Kerry, I think, was just not accepted by anyone against same sex marriage. Rove did a good job of painting him as the enemy in the culture war thing.

Obama...well, he's black. No way is WV, KY or any other blue collar southern state was going to vote for him. Hell, those states even voted for Hillary over him in the primary.
Click to expand...

You may have a point on him being black. KY and WV do not have huge black populations. Obama won Georgia, but down here by 2008 I would think blacks make up about half of the Georgia Democratic Party. Blacks make up 30% of Georgia's total population.
 
calamity said:
The thread is more about rules and regulations which prevent chemical spills than welfare, housing and food stamps. But, I can clearly see why Republicans are against them. What better way to assure workers will work in a dangerous, highly polluted factory for peanuts then removing the social safety net?
Click to expand...

The thread title is then misleading. Why work when the government programs provide more than enough to live comfortably... workers don't need to work in dangerous situations as they don't need to work period. And as long as they keep voting Democrat, they get to keep their welfare benefits.
 
Must be separated by the "poor" recipients of social programs and "poor" working people who have a low annual income. The first category, of course, will vote for the Democrats. The second, divide on the voting for the GOP and voting for Democrats. The unions put pressure on their workers to vote for Democrats.
 
calamity said:
So, you'd rather see us slouching toward China-like regulations and pay scales instead of holding global manufacturing up to higher standards?
Click to expand...

We aren't holding it period, in case you haven't noticed industrial areas are drying up here
 
Ockham said:
The thread title is then misleading. Why work when the government programs provide more than enough to live comfortably... workers don't need to work in dangerous situations as they don't need to work period. And as long as they keep voting Democrat, they get to keep their welfare benefits.
Click to expand...
:roll:
 
tacomancer said:
Mostly it's due to religiosity and cultural identification. Economic considerations tend to weigh low on the scale.
Click to expand...

This probably holds true.
 
loader said:
Must be separated by the "poor" recipients of social programs and "poor" working people who have a low annual income. The first category, of course, will vote for the Democrats. The second, divide on the voting for the GOP and voting for Democrats. The unions put pressure on their workers to vote for Democrats.
Click to expand...

excellent point and the socialists think that unless you vote for big government, you are voting against your own interests. They don't believe in people trying to succeed on their own
 
calamity said:
I still think anyone not making over $500K per year is foolish for voting GOP
Click to expand...

That's funny. I still think, after this megalomaniacal douchebag we have in the White House now, anyone who continues to vote democrat is a glutton for punishment and deserves to be poor.
 
I came from a rural poor area and yeah, all the Romney signs on front lawns...really made no sense. But then i guess look at the black dude who was running against him and it makes perfect sense.
 
TurtleDude said:
excellent point and the socialists think that unless you vote for big government, you are voting against your own interests. They don't believe in people trying to succeed on their own
Click to expand...

Or they realize that not everyone, no matter how hard they work, can reach the top 1% who amass an obscene amount of the wealth.

I remember your rant on "massah's gonna feed us." You really think that 93% of blacks voted for dems because they're all in poverty? They perceive repubs as being racist, and there's certainly historical validity behind that.
 
chromium said:
Or they realize that not everyone, no matter how hard they work, can reach the top 1% who amass an obscene amount of the wealth.

I remember your rant on "massah's gonna feed us." You really think that 93% of blacks voted for dems because they're all in poverty? They perceive repubs as being racist, and there's certainly historical validity behind that.
Click to expand...


its like athletics. most kids who train hard will not be on the Olympic team, the NBA or All Americans but America is better off when most kids work hard to become good athletes, and we are better off when most people work hard to be top 1% rather than sitting back and giving up. 93% of blacks voted Dem because FDR and LBJ's strategy worked
 
Don't worry, poor people actually vote democrat.
 
calamity said:
Fear

Fear Is Why Workers in Red States Vote Against Their Economic Self-Interest | Robert Reich





"Freedom Industries"? Yes West Virginia, it seems your people really are that gullible.
Click to expand...

First, Robert Reich needs to return to his original job, giving people directions on the yellow brick road.

Second, in America class status is highly transitory. Being lower class is highly transitory. People move in to higher classes often as they age. People understand this and they understand in many cases low wages are a temporary condition. For this reason, anyone who stereotypes an economic class of people is an idiot. I hope Robert is smart enough to give the right directions. He should, he once served the wizard.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom